It was Finn's first time coming to a train station as big as this.
As Catra let them out of the car, their eyes gazed up to the large station with people flooding in and out of the entrance. Conversations, announcements and bells rung all throughout the station, so loud that it echoed into the outside.
It was chilly, so they had to wear their winter jacket, pants and a beanie, but they didn't mind. The cold felt nice on their skin. As Catra grabbed her stuff from the car, she noticed Finn's amazed stares and couldn't help but smile.
It had been a while since she'd been to the train station herself. It had gone through radical changes and renovations ever since her first trip to Mystacor.
"Hey kiddo, just stick close to me, alright?" Catra said to her child. "There's a lot of people here and I don't want to lose you in the crowd."
"Okay…" Finn nodded. They reached out their hand, grabbing onto Catra's. They usually held Adora's hand in public spaces like this, but Catra's hand had an odd sense of comfort in it. They felt safe.
Catra held Finn's hand as they both entered the train station, descending down the stairs. The place was filled with people in suits, some families, a few groups of teenagers skipping school, and a few people who looked tired.
The noise was louder than expected, but Finn's curious eyes gazed to all the sources of sound. The trains flying by with announcements being made all over. The discussions of work, stock and trade. Teenagers laughing over an inside joke, or humor that Finn didn't quite understand just yet.
And among all that were a few stores. Some clothing stores, some food stands and one toy store that caught Finn's eyes. Catra felt Finn slow down a bit, and looked up to see them looking at the toy store with wide eyes.
"You want something from there?" Catra asked, pointing to the toy store. Finn looked up at Catra, and nodded.
"Yes, please…"
Catra smiled, and led Finn to the store. She let go of their hand once they were in, letting them choose out a toy from themselves. The options were a large variety, ranging from big plushies to small figurines. They had packed a few things for the trip to Mystacor, but forgot to bring most of their toys. This should hopefully make up for it.
Their eyes noticed that some parts of the store were colored blue, whilst other parts were colored pink. The blue part contained toys like robots, toy guns, and plastic versions of DIY tools. The pink parts contained toys like dolls in dresses, miniature ponies and playhouses.
Finn was confused at the coloring of things, since all of these toys seemed like fun anyway. They decided to ignore all of it and go for whatever toy appealed to them most, which they soon found after a few minutes of searching.
A small plane. It wasn't much, especially compared to some of the other things they could choose. But sometimes, the simplest things caused the most fun in their experience. They never really liked toys that needed batteries or charging.
Catra saw them approach her with the small plane. "This the one you want?" Catra asked them, and they gave an enthusiastic nod. It was relatively cheap, and if it made them happy, Catra didn't really judge. She went to the counter to pay for it, and Finn stuck by her, holding onto her jacket the entire time.
Once it was all paid for, Catra gave it back to them. She could see the excitement in their eyes as they held onto the miniature plane. "It's so cool…" Finn gawked, looking at the plane all over.
"If you want to play with it, just make sure you stick close to me so I can see you, alright?" Catra said, and Finn nodded. "And don't go near the train tracks. Just to be safe. I trust you, kiddo. I just don't want an accident happening. Your mom would not like it."
"Thank you, Catra," Finn smiled, and almost immediately, they took off. Catra watched them fly the plane with their hands out of the store and towards the benches on the middle of the platform. As promised, they didn't go far.
As Catra went to go purchase tickets for Mystacor, Finn explored every part of the train station with their new toy. They climbed on top of benches, landed the plane on railings and vending machines, and even dodged and ducked between a few people.
The exploration of a new place satisfied their curiosity about all things in life. They could spot Catra talking to the person behind the counter and acquiring two tickets for the train five minutes from now. Today, Catra had to decided to tidy up a bit by fully washing and combing her hair, and getting a bit more sleep than usual.
Her hair was still a bit bushy, and there was still some bags under her eyes. But they weren't as bad as usual. And Finn liked that.
Catra turned to see Finn still playing with the plane. She smiled as she looked at her child. A whole week in Mystacor with them might do a world of good.
She remembered her last outing to Mystacor. The kiss she shared with Adora that ended in disaster. Looking back on it, all she could do was laugh. It was an awkward situation that only led to both of them hiding their feelings for a bit longer, but in all honesty, she was just glad she could have her first kiss with Adora in such a beautiful spot.
"Is that your child?" Catra suddenly heard, and she turned to see an older woman smiling up at her. She must've been looking at Finn for a while if it caused someone else to notice.
"Yeah," Catra said with a proud tone. Finn was her child. Her kid. The fact she even had a kid was something that was still so amazing to her. And the fact that Finn was so wonderful was even better.
"He looks so sweet," the older woman complimented. "Where is…"
"They," Catra interrupted.
"Hm?"
"Their pronouns are they/them. Not he," Catra corrected. She chalked it off as a mistake, but someone misgendering her own child like that pushed some buttons in her system. Her heartrate kicked up almost instantly.
"Oh… My, the world is changing so much these days…" The older woman spoke to herself. Catra's eyebrows narrowed at the small talk, but she pretended not to hear it. "Where is… their… father?" She asked.
Now it was starting to get a bit more than an uncomfortable feeling. "First of all, they have two moms. Me and my wife, who's on a business trip at the moment. But secondly, what does it matter to you?"
"Well, there's no need to get so hostile. I was just complimenting your child," the older woman replied.
"Okay, great, thanks. Could've been done without all the assumptions," Catra sighed. "Is there a point to this conversation or…?"
"Well, I just think every child needs a masculine figure in his or her life. Now I just feel like you're pushing some… political agenda onto your own child," the older woman accused Catra. It was the tipping point. Catra turned to face her, and just when she went to go open her mouth…
"Um… Catra?"
Finn's voice suddenly interjected.
Catra stopped herself, looking down at her child. "I… I lost my toy," Finn spoke meekly. "Can you help me find it?"
Catra looked to Finn for a few moments. She snuck one more glance at the older woman, before simply moving on from her and kneeling before Finn. "Sure, kiddo. Where'd you last have it?" Catra asked, ignoring the older woman as she scoffed and walked away.
"S… Somewhere over there…" Finn pointed to a random direction, but as they saw the older woman walk away, they let out a sigh of relief. "Oh… Actually… I had it in my pocket the whole time. I guess I didn't lose it…" Finn said, pulling the miniature plane out of their back pocket.
"Well... Isn't that convenient," Catra said with a sad smile. She knew what they were trying to do. "You… You didn't really lose it, did you?"
Finn realized they had been caught, and they looked at the floor. "I'm sorry for lying… I just didn't want you to get mad again."
Catra couldn't help but smile at Finn's whole plan. "You're a little damn sneak, aren't you?" She said, rubbing Finn's hair. "Uh… Don't tell your mom I said that word."
Finn giggled as they felt Catra's hand rubbing their hair. "Damn sure!" They replied. Catra could only snicker in response.
"… I'm sorry for nearly getting mad again, kiddo. I just… They were disrespecting you. Who you are. I'm not going to let anyone just do that whenever they want," Catra explained.
"I know. I heard what they said," Finn said. But nevertheless, their spirit remained strong. "I don't think someone like that is worth talking to anyway."
"Yeah… You're right," Catra sighed. She appreciated how mature Finn was about the whole situation. "But just remember… That doesn't mean you should let someone walk over you, too. If you ignore them and they walk away, that's good. But if they keep saying mean things or bullying you… Stand up for yourself. Fighting for yourself and your place in the world is a good cause. And you always have me and mom to back you up, alright?"
"Mom said something like that too," Finn smiled. "You two say a lot of the same things."
"It helps when we're together for eleven years," Catra replied.
Their conversation was soon interrupted as the announcement for the train to Mystacor was made. Catra stood up, holding out a hand as the train arrived and the doors opened. Finn looked up at her, plane in one hand.
And soon, with their other hand, they grabbed their mother's hand.
Droplets formed from the rain. They scattered across the train window as it sped pass the landscapes.
Finn watched the race of these droplets. They slid down the window, collecting friends and destroying others. All in an attempt to get to the bottom.
But in Finn's eyes, it didn't matter who won. They just liked watching the events. The friends they collected. The smaller details. That's what made them happy.
Plus, it was all done with snowy mountains in the background.
Catra smiled down at them as they watched the windows with wide eyes. The speeding train had been going for the last hour but their fascination never stopped. They wanted to explore every bit of the train, including the driver's carriage and places they weren't supposed to go to.
Catra wondered where they got this curiosity to explore the world from. Which parent would be more likely to ditch everything and go on a journey?
Her question remained unanswered as Catra suddenly felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out to check the text.
Adorablyscary33: How are things going over there, wifey?
Catra smiled. It was the first text she had received from Adora since she left for that trip after those stern words. Catra typed out a response.
NoPurr44: Better than expected. Guess where we're headed?
Along with that message, Catra sent a picture of the snowy landscape outside the window of the train. Finn noticed her taking a picture. "What are you doing?" They asked, tilting their head slightly.
"Talking to your mom," Catra replied, watching as Adora typed out a response.
"Tell her I miss her!" Finn beamed, and Catra nodded.
Adorablyscary33: Are you two heading to Mystacor?
NoPurr44: Yeesh, how could you tell?
Adorablyscary33: I remember that exact landscape. If I recall right, I had a certain tired girl sleeping on my side almost the entire train ride there…
NoPurr44: Hmm, nah, your memory is lying to you. That never happened. Oh, and Finn says they miss you.
Adorablyscary33: Aw, I miss them too! You two have been getting along, right?
Catra took a second to look at Finn. Their wide eyes. The small smile as they put their hands on the window and looked to the outside world.
NoPurr44: We have. Hey, Adora… I'm really sorry about how I acted the other day. And just as of late… I've been really stuck-up and I wasn't listening to both you and DT. I really hope I haven't driven a wedge anywhere. I never meant to. I'm trying to do better. For all of us. And… For me, too.
Adorablyscary33: It's okay, Catra. You've been going through a lot lately. You're so incredibly strong for taking this trip. I can't talk for long, but just know that I still love you. I always will. I'm proud of you.
NoPurr44: I love you too, Adora. I love you so much.
Catra closed her texts with Adora, but her time wasn't done just yet. She opened another text box.
NoPurr44: Hey… You got time to talk?
She waited a few minutes. But as usual, a response came quick.
DTpride55: Always for you, doll.
Catra was just glad they responded. Their last meeting was filled with intensity and anger, and Catra didn't want to lose one of her dearest friends.
NoPurr44: I just want to say I'm sorry for how I acted the other day. I ignored you when you were just trying to help. That was really, really shitty of me. I'm currently on my way to a trip to Mystacor with Finn. Gonna spend some time with them while Adora is on a business trip. I'm trying to do better. I hope you can forgive me.
The response was quick.
DTpride55: Catra… You don't have to apologize to me. What you've been going through lately… It's normal that you'd be in high emotions right now. But I am so, so proud of you for being strong enough to look up and take that first step. I really hope you and Finn have an amazing time in Mystacor. And I hope you're doing better these days.
NoPurr44: I'm hanging in there. Finn's been great. We'll send you pics, alright? I'm just glad you don't hold any resentment towards me.
DTpride55: I could never. I love you, Catra. If you ever want to talk, I've always got time to catch up.
NoPurr44: I love you too. Thank you for everything.
Catra put her phone in her lap, letting out a gentle sigh of relief. The anxiety about Double Trouble and Adora had been festering in her heart ever since their stern words, but they both simply wanted to help her. She knew that deep within her heart. She just needed to make sure.
She looked to the window. She saw the droplets.
And she saw the sky.
"Listen. As long as you hold my hand, I won't let go of you. I promise."
It had been a long, long while since Catra had come to this frozen lake. She remembered when she came here with Adora, Bow and Glimmer. When she impressed Adora with her ice skating, and the small dance they had.
Now she was back with her child. But they were having second thoughts about this whole ice skating thing.
"I… I don't know, Catra…" Finn shook their head. "What if I fall and it really hurts?"
"That's why I'm going to hold your hand. So you won't fall," Catra said, her skates already on and ready to go. But first, she knelt down before Finn, putting a hand on their shoulder and a smile on her own face. "Hey bud, if you don't want to do this, just say no. I completely understand if this scares you, and I won't force you into it if you don't like it."
Finn opened their mouth to immediately say no, but their eye caught onto something on the frozen lake. A parent and child, moving together, hand-in-hand. Even if the child needed some help sometimes, the parent was always happy to provide it.
They looked back to Catra. "Let's… Just do a little bit…" They decided. Catra nodded.
She stood up, and Finn held onto her hand. They could see their breath form before themselves. It almost distracted them as their skates made contact with the ice, and they immediately began to lose balance and topple backwards.
But as promised, Catra held on.
"You're okay, kiddo! I'm here!" Catra said, keeping Finn upright. To Catra, it was almost natural. The skating was the same as all those years ago, and it just came to her. But clearly, for a five-year-old child, things were a bit different. "I got ya."
Finn waved their free arm in a circular motion, staying up and balanced. "What… What do I do to move…?" They asked, looking nervously up at Catra.
"You just have to put one foot in front of the other, and thrust forward. Watch me and try to copy my movements," Catra explained. As she began to skate forward at a slow pace, Finn watched her feet with wide eyes.
And slowly, they began to copy her movements.
One foot in front of the other. Over and over. Simple movements that made up the basis of ice skating. "There you go… You're getting the hang of it quickly," Catra complimented, watching as Finn's nervous expression slowly morphed into one of pure joy.
"I'm… I'm doing it!" Finn cheered. "I'm doing it, Catra!"
Catra couldn't help but chuckle as they skated, hand in hand, around the edge of the lake. Finn's movements slowly got more natural, one foot in front of the other. It was slow and a tad bit stiff, but for a child, it was very well done.
"You're like a pro!" Catra said. "Reckon you might be able to stand up on your own, kiddo? Don't feel like you have to."
"I can do it!" Finn immediately responded. Catra felt a tad uneasy about letting them go, but it was their request and they seemed well enough. She slowly let their hand free, watching them move forward on their own. The wind blowing pass their almost golden hair.
And as they took another step forward, their skate grinded against the ice with an unpleasant sound, and they toppled forward.
Catra watched as Finn fell with quite a bit of force. "Finn!" She cried out, immediately falling to her knees and stopping. Every other set of eyes shot towards Finn's direction as Catra held them up. "Finn, you okay? Did you hit your head?"
As she turned them around, she saw a blank expression on Finn's face. Their eyes were closed. It looked like the fall had knocked them out. Catra felt her heart spike, and she shook her head. "Shit…" She whispered to herself, leaning down and hovering her ear near Finn's mouth to check for breathing.
And to her relief, she heard Finn's slow breaths. And not just that.
They were laughing too.
Catra raised an eyebrow, and looked up to see a smile crawl onto Finn's face. They opened their eyes and giggled. "I pranked you!" They said, pointing at Catra as if she was a fool. To them, it probably seemed like a harmless joke. They were completely unharmed, save for a little bit of soreness.
But Catra was anything but amused.
She opened her mouth to lecture Finn about how doing something like that was cruel, and to not scare her like that. But Finn's laughs still rang out. They seemed happy.
Finn had never pranked Catra before. They only usually did that to Adora.
In an odd way, Catra felt almost proud to be made of a fool of by her own child. She took a deep breath, standing Finn back up. "You're a little jokester," Catra scoffed, waiting for Finn's laughter to die down slightly.
"Did I scare you?" Finn asked, still amused by the whole affair.
"You did," Catra nodded. "Uh… Hey, kiddo? I appreciate that you're able to have some fun, but… Well, that really, really freaked me out. I don't mind an occasional prank. I pull them on mom all the time. Just… Maybe something a bit… lighter next time?"
Finn's laughter slowly grew silent upon hearing that. "Oh… I'm sorry," they responded, feeling guilt set in upon hearing that. Catra cursed herself.
"Hey, you don't need to say sorry! It's okay! I reckon mom probably would've gotten a laugh out of that," Catra smiled, rubbing their hair in a comforting matter. "I'm just a scaredy-cat, alright? I worry too much sometimes."
Finn smiled, leaning into the headpats. "Okay…"
"You wanna ice skate a bit more?" Catra asked. But Finn needed no time to ponder that question.
"Damn yes!"
Finn even found fascination in hotel rooms.
As Catra opened the door to their small room, their eyes looked around in amazement. Catra would've preferred letting them stay at Castaspella's holiday home, but Catra hadn't been able to get the keys for that home before they left.
Still, it was warm and it had a roof. That's all that really mattered as rain began to pick up outside. Catra closed the door behind herself and flicked on the lights in the hotel room as Finn ran to one of the small bedrooms.
"This is my throne!" They cried from the room, and Catra chuckled. She peeked in to see Finn flopping onto the small bed, and that just left the larger bed to Catra. They weren't far apart, but the walls separated the two of them.
"Alright, your royalty. You can come claim your throne after you clean your teeth and get changed into your pyjamas," Catra instructed. The ruler of this here land obeyed, hopping off the bed and heading for their backpack to grab their night gear.
Catra grabbed her phone from her bag and put it on charge next to her bed. She took off her winter clothes, getting changed into something a bit more comfortable. She could hear Finn furiously brush their teeth in the bathroom, and once they were done, they also got changed into more comfortable wear.
Once they emerged from the bathroom, Catra watched as they headed to their throne. "You okay to tuck yourself into bed?" Catra asked as Finn climbed under the sheets.
"Uh-huh," they nodded. "Um… Can you leave the door open a bit?"
"Sure thing," Catra smiled. "Good night, kiddo."
"Good night, Catra."
With that, Catra left the bedroom doom open slightly and headed to her own bed. She didn't feel particularly tired, so she instead grabbed her charging phone to check on the news today, and to see what was going on in everyone else's lives.
She noticed a text from Shadow Weaver's caretaker had popped up. She hadn't received one from them in a while. She opened the box.
Unknown: Hi there, Catra. I'm unsure of if you got my previous text informing you of Shadow Weaver's funeral. Nevertheless, it has already passed today. I hope you're doing okay during this difficult time.
Catra looked at the text. She completely forgot Shadow Weaver's funeral was planned already for today. She had torn herself away from any planning of that event. With everything going on with Finn, she had simply become too busy
She didn't need to ask to know what happened at the funeral. She already knew barely anyone would've shown up. No one to give speeches. No one to talk about fond memories. Just a body, buried six feet under.
Her mother. The one who raised her. The one who took her in. Dead and buried.
But Catra felt nothing.
It wasn't like she took amusement in it. But it also didn't depress her. She was simply apathetic. Why should she care?
She sighed, and moved on from the text.
Just as she did, she suddenly a small series of footsteps from Finn's room. She looked up to see Finn, slowly opening the door and peeking out. "Everything okay, bud?" Catra asked them, noting their nervous eyes.
"It's… It's scary in there…" Finn spoke meekly. It made sense. It was a brand new room, in the dark, with the rain beating against the window outside.
"You wanna sleep in here?" Catra offered, and Finn nodded. She put away her phone and made room for her child, lifting up the sheets and allowing them to crawl under. Finn was small, but they managed to get their head on a pillow and most of their body under the sheets.
"Thanks…" Finn spoke. "Um… What were you looking at on your phone? I heard you sighing…"
Catra laid down and looked them in the eyes. They both laid on their sides, close together under the same sheets. Mother and child. "It… It was a text. Shadow Weaver… My mother's funeral happened today. And I missed it."
"Oh…" Finn replied. "… Is that bad?"
"I don't know… It's not bad, but… It's not amazing either," Catra shrugged. Finn looked at their mother for a few more seconds.
"She… She hurt you, didn't she?" They asked, almost needing to remind themselves.
"Yeah. She hurt me a lot," Catra nodded. "And…"
Catra's voice trailed off. Her eyes gazed into the distance. "And…?" Finn asked, trying to bring their mother back to the real world.
But Catra was not there. Her thoughts were in limbo. And slowly, she let out a sigh. Honesty was needed. The truth was needed. That's what was most important. Catra never wanted to lie to them.
"And I'm… I'm afraid of hurting you, Finn. Like she did with me," Catra admitted. Finn's expression didn't change. Their eyes were still filled with concern. Worry. Confusion. They weren't quite sure how to respond for some time. But eventually, they spoke quietly.
"Well…" Finn looked at the bed. "You've only hurt me sometimes."
Catra's heart went cold.
"… When was that?" She asked, her eyes widening. It was her worst nightmare. Her terrors greeting her. But she had to hide her horror.
"It's… It's hard to say. I don't know the words for it…" Finn said. Catra wanted to know more. She wanted to know how she hurt Finn. What she did wrong. But she could tell it was an extremely sensitive topic for them. They already wanted to avoid it.
"… That's okay. I'm… I'm so sorry," Catra said softly. Finn wasn't sure how to say anything more. Catra watched as they turned around, facing away from her. "… Good night, Finn."
They gave no response as they closed their eyes. They held no hatred for Catra. Their heart was simply heavy. Their stomach tight.
And for Catra, the guilt had already set in.
When Catra awoke, the bed felt cold.
Her eyes slowly opened, blinking against the light that pierced in from the outside. Despite everything that occurred last night, she found herself sleeping more heavily than usual. Perhaps having Finn in the same bed helped.
And yet, even with the heater running, the room felt cold for some reason.
She looked up to see if Finn was still asleep, but found an empty space on the bed instead.
Immediately, Catra shot up. "Finn?" She called out. Perhaps they had returned to their own room. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, planting them against the soft floor and standing up. She walked over to the bedroom, but she soon saw that the bed in there was empty as well.
"Finn? You in here?" Catra called out even louder, going to the bathroom. And yet, that was empty too. "Finn? Finn?!" Catra's cries got louder. "If this is a prank, you can come out now! Finn!"
And yet, she received no response.
Amidst the panic, Catra noticed a loud howling coming from the front door. She turned to notice that it was slightly jarred open, and the wind coming in was what caused the freezing temperature in the room. The weather was practically on the verge of a snowstorm. "Fuck… Fuck, fuck, fuck…" She whispered to herself.
Finn was out there. In that cold. Catra must've left the door unlocked, and Finn must've snuck out.
She put her hands up against the back of her head, taking in deep, frantic breaths. "Oh shit… Oh shit…" Catra panted, and she quickly began to move herself. There was no time to waste.
She put her Winter clothes on, including a jacket, pants, beanie and gloves. It was all thrown together quickly. Finn was out there in that snowstorm. They had ran away. And Catra needed to find them somehow.
Why did they run? Catra had no idea. She had no time to think.
She opened the door, and immediately felt a blast of cold smash against her face. She winced against it, but did not back down. "I'm coming, Finn… Please be okay…" She panted, closing the door behind herself and walking forward.
They had to be okay. Catra kept repeating it to herself. They had to be okay.
The freezing cold wind practically prevented her from thinking anything else.